


moonlight and music and love and romance

by HighOnSkittles



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1960s, Alternate Universe - Historical, Jazz Age, London, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-06-07 11:24:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15218111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighOnSkittles/pseuds/HighOnSkittles
Summary: During the jazz backdrop in London in 1960's, Phil Lester, an aspiring screen writer, gets intrigued by the pianist of the a local band.





	1. Chapter 1

Aristotle affirms in Politics that “Man is by nature a social animal”, and if you refuse your mates for an outing for the fifth time you are either a ”beast or a god”. Phil feels the judgment of the philosopher from the sky, or wherever he is, as he contemplates if it would upset his friends if he didn’t show up to the pub. It’s either that, or the extreme guilt of refusing his friends’ efforts of getting him out of the house.

He definitely isn’t keen on going out, but that didn’t mean he didn’t like his friends. Phil definitely appreciates them for putting up with up with his sorry ass and putting effort in their friendship. A few years ago it would’ve been easier for him to partake in outings and such, but as time went by, it became draining for him to put a façade of the man he once was: uplifting and quirky.

But concerts were good. You get inside the local, listen to the concert, leave. There is no need of investment in conversations or coming up with subjects of discussion so you can keep less silent, less awkward.  
Phil steps in front of the mirror and he lets out a heavy sigh as he runs his fingers through his quiff. He straightens his coat and leaves the apartment.

-

Phil sees his friends from afar in front of the local they arranged to meet at, cheering at his arrival. He briefly raises his hand as a form of a friendly wave and plasters on an awkward smile as they get inside the bar.

“Lads, I swear that these kids blew my brains everywhere across London. I’ve seen this band last week, and gosh, I still can’t get the singer out of my mind.”

“Forget the singer,” the youngest mate in the group, Jimmy, chipped in. “Philly finally decided to grace us with his presence and leave his cave!”

Phil rolled his eyes and let out a chuckle. “Jim is as original as I remembered.” 

His mates went on with their banter, but Phil struggled to concentrate on the conversation, which became more of a buzz in his ears along with other conversations around him, so he would let out small laughs and nod when appropriate.

They sat down close to the small stage setup at a table with the name of one of his friends scribbled on a piece of paper, and Phil quickly orders a cider to erase the tension he feels crawling under his skin.

As soon as the waiter hurriedly arrived, the lights shut down completely, except for one spotlight which was in the middle of the stage. A tall woman steps into the light, her long dark legs creeping out of the slit of her red flowy dress, her textured hair bouncing on her back, and before the room erupted with applause, only the click of her heels on the hard wood floor could be heard. The whole room is enchanted by her, and even Phil couldn’t deny that she is beautiful. It took the lady one note to get everyone cheering and whistling, and Phil couldn’t help to clap along. Her voice alluring everyone like a siren calling pirates into the ocean, she enthralled every single soul in that pub.

The other instruments gradually started to play, and the spotlights were on the entire stage. Phil’s eyes shifted from the singer to the long fingers gently moving across the keys of the piano, the mop of dark curly hair, the small dimple which made an appearance when the pianist smiled towards the audience, his brown eyes that he swears they locked with his own. 

It took a moment to realise that the beat of the bass was in sync with his own heartbeat, playing soundly in his ears.

“Everyone! A round of applause for these lovely boys!” the singer stopped her performance, as the other members continued to play in the background.

The room did as they were told, but Phil stayed still, sipping from his bottle, eyes fixated on the pianist. 

“We have the lovely Benny Baker, playing the bass! This young stud who is playing the drums, Louis Morris! And this big goof who is playing the piano is Daniel Howell!” 

The room applauded for every member, the atmosphere of the local getting more euphoric as seconds went by. Daniel raises his whiskey glass towards the audience, playing with one hand, and smiled towards Phil. He was clearly showing off. He straightens up in his stool, sitting on the edge, his arms relaxed, playfully moving his fingers across the keyboard.

The room lightened up with the energy which was created by the band and sort of tipsy individuals, soon people even started getting up and danced in front of the stage. People didn’t seem to mind if they bumped into eachother while they made a twirl, or that they were stepping eachother on their feet due to the small space of the pub. Men were throwing their partners in the air, twirling the girls making them burst in laughter. But Phil remained in his seat.

They noticed eachother undoubtedly. The brown eyes peeked from time to time towards the older man, giving a subtle half smile as he returned his gaze towards his instrument. 

The way he synchronized with the rest of the band, the way he grinned when he hit the right note along with the rest of the members at the right time. Daniel stopped throwing glances at Phil as he was completely focused on the music. But Phil, kept looking. He looked at his beads of sweat on the boy’s forehead who was biting his chapped lips in concentration while standing in an extreme slouched posture, swaying with the rhythm of the music as he was gliding his hands across the keys. Daniel dramatically slammed his fingers at the end of the song and immediately stood up, his chest heaving. He looked towards Phil, letting a small smile plaster on his face, almost asking for a sign of approval. As a response to the gesture, he stood up and started clapping before anyone understood and realised that it was the end of the show.  
When the audience chanted for an encore, Phil noticed that he was at the table by himself, with a quick scan around the room, he found his friends holding other girls, probably who they danced with. 

-

The show ended after the third encore, Phil’s friends waddled towards the table, clearly tipsy from the alcohol and maybe the room’s high energy.

As Phil finished off his second bottle of cider, the band members strutted towards their own table. Wherever they passed people cheered and asked to clink their glasses together. Phil didn’t realise from the stage, but he is noticing now how freakishly tall Daniel is, towering over the rest of his mates easily, maybe towering slightly over Phil too.

“Cheers.”

It took a second for Phil to comprehend that the pianist actually approached him, and also clinked his unfinished, or even untouched, whiskey glass against his own bottle. Too stunned by the gesture nothing came out of his mouth and just watched him go towards his table.

The prickly feeling of someone staring at Phil from behind took a hold of him. He turned around to see Jimmy wiggling his eyebrows.

“Lets go out for a bit.” Jimmy said as he stood up from his chair.

Phil just nodded and followed behind his heel.

When they got out, his friend drew out a cigarette pack out of his pocket and lit up a stick. He motioned the pack towards Phil but refused.

“So…” Jimmy started

“So.”

“I’ve seen you looking.”

Phil let out a small laugh “Of course. That’s what eyes are for.”

His friend groaned and rolled his eyes, but smiled fondly.

“Mate, you know that people like us can go to jail for this. As stupid as it is, we have to make it as less obvious as we can.”

Phil looked at his own feet, crossing them awkwardly, sighing.

“I know… But looking doesn’t do any harm.”

“I know, mate. I know…”

Jimmy threw an arm around Phil’s shoulder, rubbing it vigorously, earning a chuckle from both of them.

“Did anyone notice that I stared?” Phil brought himself to ask.

Jimmy shook his head. “The others were almost eating up the poor singer. Just a bunch of filthy wolves. I don’t think they even noticed the rest of the band.”

“How come you noticed? Weren’t you too busy dancing around with that lady, eh?” 

At that he rolled his eyes “Oh, Philly. I’ve known you since uni. I can see through all of your bullshit by now. ”

“Thanks,” Phil spoke abruptly “ In general I mean. For sticking around for so long-“

“Woah don’t get all sappy on me. You’re not even that drunk.” Jimmy laughed but Phil knew that he appreciated it.

After his friend finished his second cigarette they got inside, getting greeted by the slightly more than tipsy friends.

The rest of the night was spent drinking. Heavily. Phil didn’t know that these people would get any louder than they already were, but they surprise him every time. 

“Tone it down a little! You’re breaking the sound barrier!”

“Lester, I swear to God. The sound barrier isn’t what you think it is. So shut up already and take another pint.”

So he did.

-

The bar got completely empty when they left. Perhaps going out that night wasn’t half that bad as he thought it would be. Maybe it was the help of the alcohol mixed with the high energy created by the concert, or maybe he definitely needed to get out of his house. 

Phil followed his friends outside, Jimmy turned slightly towards Phil making a small dance with his eyebrows, earning a confused stare from Phil. They said their goodbyes and his friends soon scattered around. Phil looked across the street and he immediately understood the gesture.

Dan was leaning on a car, lifted his hand to form a small wave.

“Do you need a lift?”


	2. Chapter 2

He looked around and still couldn’t process what is happening. There was no one around other than the two men on the damp streets of London.

“Uh… Yes of course,” Phil approached sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck “I’m Phil Lester by the way. Cheers for the lift.”

“I’m… Dan Howell, in case you forgot my name when Roshan introduced me.” Dan chuckles but rises an eyebrow skeptically when Phil introduces himself, but both men extend their hands and shake them for a slightly uncomfortable amount of time, fingers lingering as much as they can. They both let out a cough and drop their hands to their sides “Let’s get you home then. It’s already two in the morning” Dan smiled as he squinted his eyes at his watch at the dim streetlight.

Phil took his time to notice something new about Daniel. His voice. He was definitely from around London considering his posh and articulate accent. Phil would make fun of the southern accents with his friends, but this time he wanted to hear his voice more, not having enough with the few sentences threwn around.

  
They both got into the car and Phil took notice of the worn out seats which smelled a bit musty from the years of using the vehicle.

“I don’t live that far from here, It’s actually a walking distance to the pub.”

Dan just nodded and remained in silence, except the few moments Phil gave indications around the neighbourhood. It felt slightly uncomfortable, mostly because silence scared him, and the tension between the two didn’t help his lump in his throat either. They definitely both knew what happened at the concert, what happened between them. The trance both of them were caught in while Dan was, almost maniacally, playing the piano left Phil absolutely awestruck. The glances, that could’ve been even considered seductive stares, they gave eachother didn’t go unnoticed. Maybe that’s why Phil agreed so quickly to hop in, practically, a stranger’s car at two in the morning.

Phil forgot how short the road to his house was, feeling a tinge of regret when Dan pulls over in front of the block of flats behind another car.

“I…didn’t actually expect you to accept my offer, and I just went along with it. I live on the other side of London and it’s already late and I am getting tired-“

“Do you want to stay over?”

Phil felt absolutely idiotic when he interrupted Dan, the fact that he interrupted himself from hearing his voice. He felt slightly more idiotic when he realised the risque offer he just made.

Dan just let out a laugh, of relief almost, his dimples making an appearance “Yes, that would be great.”

Both of them tip toed to Phil’s apartment, avoiding any complaining neighbours on the way. Phil turns the key in the lock and lets Dan inside the small apartment.

Dan steps inside and he’s instantly marveled by the crammed space, cluttered with a pile of items on different surfaces

“I’ll look around, and probably touch everything here to feel slightly less uncomfortable that I’m in a stranger’s house. Is that okay with you?”

Phil let out a chuckle and leaned on the door, watching Dan’s steps.

Dan caresses the slightly dusty desk filled with stacks of papers, and hidden between the papers there’s a typewriter. Dan softly touches the curves of the keyboards, imitating the writing, almost like playing the piano softly.

“You’re a writer?”

“Screen writer actually.”

Dan formed an o with his mouth and let out a smile after “Did you have any projects?”

“Yeah, actually one of my films rolled this year at BFI London Film Festival. I don’t know if you’ve seen it but it’s called Philippa?”

Dan let out a gasp while holding his chest “What were you on when you wrote that? It was so disturbing I still could hear her voice that night when I was attempting to fall asleep!”

“I guess it was a bit peculiar,” Phil laughed “I’m impressed that you’ve actually seen it.”

“I didn’t know you were the Phil Lester! I am a big fan of your strange mind.”

Phil stepped closer to the younger man and softly smiled and mumbled a thank you.

“Great. Now I feel more nervous… I just want to look through all your projects but it would completely spoil the enjoyment in your films,” Dan looked frantically around the room for another distraction, and his eyes landed on the pickup and the pile of vinyls at the leg of the end table. Dan picked up a vinyl and analised it along with another one.

“Doris Day? She’s a heartthrob indeed… And Louis Armstrong… So you keep holding onto jazz almost as much as I do. Can I play?”

Phil nodded and looked over Dan’s shoulder, watching Dan’s careful movements as he placed the vinyl in the pickup. There was the spatter sound before the familiar keys of the piano of Cheek to Cheek and the raspy voice of Louis Armstrong appears. Dan skips away from the pickup, arms tied back while looking around the house, Phil always at his heel. When they arrive at kitchen he could faintly hear Dan mumbling the lyrics and sway on the rhythm. Dan turn around and hesitates for a second but puts his hand in front of Phil. Phil looks at the hand for a moment and softly took it. Dan pulls him closer, wrapping the other hand around Phil’s waist. They start swaying softly on the rhythm as Ella starts her verses and Dan rests his chin on Phil’s shoulder. Phil presses his chest against Dan’s, their heartbeats beating in their ribcage, almost like trying to rip their chest open to touch and feel eachother. The world seemed to vanish beneath them, the song echoing into a void, both swaying into nothingness.

The spell was unbound when Dan steps on Phil’s foot startling both of them. Dan unglues himself from Phil’s chest, leaving a cold spot where Dan was. He didn’t realise how tightly they were holding eachother until he noticed that he still feels Dan on his chest.

“I’m really sorry… I don’t know why I did that,”

“Don’t be. I’m horrid at dancing but now I really enjoyed it, come on and dance with me, I want my arm about you,” Phil began to sang offkey, earning a hearted laugh from Dan, his smile and dimple melting his heart.

They press their chests together, Dan wraps his long arm on the small of his back, getting them even closer than before, and with the other arm he presses his hand on Phil’s chest. The older man gets taken aback by the sudden change of pose, but he also wraps his arm around Dan’s waist and takes his hand in his own. Their eyes lock and the spell is bound again. Dan’s eyes travels Phil’s and for a split second they lower to his lips and back at the eyes. Phil gulps as Dan leans in, but rests his chin on Phil’s shoulder. The black haired man rests his head on the other’s, as the song is saying, dancing cheek to cheek.

“This is pretty cheeky,” Phil blurts in a humorous tone.

“This is false advertising! I wasn’t expecting such terrible puns,” Dan shrieked, and even if they couldn’t see their faces, Phil could feel the corners of Dan’s moth lifting into a smile.

“I am made out of atrocious puns. You’ll have to bear with this,”

Dan groans but it doesn’t sound frustrated, but endeared.

The voices of Ella and Louis echo cheek to cheek through the apartment as the songs ends and the splatter sound takes place. Even when the song ended, both men lingered for a few moment, taking eachother in. Phil is the first to pull away, making Dan sigh softly but doesn’t pull his hand away, he hold it a bit tighter.

“I’ve got some neighbours that complain at the smallest noise I make. Hopefully They won’t say anything tomorrow. I am can’t be bothered with them tomorrow.” Phil smiles as he lets go of his hand, their fingers lingering for a second. He goes back to the pickup to arrange his stack of vinyls.

Dan just nods and keeps looking through Phil’s room and spots a crystal ball next to a Tarot deck. He looks at Phil with a puzzled look and Phil laughs in return.

“My grandma was apparently psychic, she told me it’s genetic. I may not look like it but I am actually a clairvoyant. You don’t know how many events I have predicted and how many lives I have saved with my sixth sense!”

“Shut up, this is utter bullshit!” Dan laughs.

“It’s true! Why would I lie about this?”

“Then tell me what my future looks like in the crystal ball or something.”

Phil picks up the crystal and squints his eyes at the polished mineral, rubbing it dramatically.

Almost a minute passes and Dan impatiently scoffs.

“What do you see?”

“You’re supposed to see some white blur or something like that but I can only see my reflection.”

Dan snorts and lets out a good laugh, making Phil blush and hide his face behind the crystal ball. The curly haired boy smiles endearingly and takes the ball away from Phil and puts it away while shaking his head. Dan’s gaze lingers around the room and lets out yawn, eyes tearing up with tiredness.

“I guess it’s pretty late even for a night owl… I’ll give you my pajamas if you want,” Phil offers contagiously yawning as well.

“Where are you going to sleep?” Dan asks, maybe it’s his imagination, but he felt a slightly tinge of hope in his voice.

Phil didn’t think of this situation until this moment. Everything happened all of the sudden, their meeting, this night. Phil didn’t even have the chance to play these scenarios in his head or even overthink any outcome of this meeting. Everything trotted at a fast pace which suddenly made Phil uncomfortable. It wasn’t until this moment that he felt ripped between desire and rationality. He could always boldly offer to sleep together in the same bed. Phil played through his head with hundreds of miles per hour every moment that happened that night which made him slightly overwhelmed. He has to make a choice.

“I think I am going to sleep in the bathtub...”

Dan rises and eyebrow and lets out a chuckle. Phil couldn’t bring himself to look at his face. He didn’t want to see what expression he made at that moment, but he felt it in his chuckle. The confusion, the disappointment, the draining disappointment.

Phil gave Daniel a set of unfolded pajamas from under his pillow and took a pillow of his own and said their good nights.

“Thank you again… for letting me stay here overnight,” Dan blurted when Phil opened the bathroom door. Phil just smiled in return.

The light was bouncing on Phil’s eyes, stirring him awake. He opens his eyes and it takes a second to realise where he is, slowly getting up, feeling like his bones feel like wood from sleeping on the uncomfortable surface. He rubs his back slightly and stretches when he gets out of the tub.

He steps out of the bathroom and looks around for Dan. He feels a pang of disappointment in his chest when he sees no sight of him around the house. Maybe they should’ve slept together, maybe they could’ve woken up together and enjoyed breakfast together.

He sighs deeply when he flops at his desk but notices the piece of paper in the typewriter that wasn’t last night.

I had to leave early so I wouldn’t suspect anything when I get out of your apartment. I will wait for you at my band’s show next week. Same place.  
Dan

Phil just smiles.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terribly sorry for taking ages for the second chapter! Hope you’ll enjoy it!

**Author's Note:**

> heyhihello!  
> This is the first time I ever wrote fanfiction and I am extremely proud that I finally mustered up some courage and wrote something.  
> .  
> I got inspired to write this story after I listened to Let's Face the Music and Dance by Frank Sinatra, and the title is also a line from the song.  
> .  
> This story is set in 1966, one year before homosexuality was dicriminalised. Also, I got inspired to write a historical au from scvlly's lovely work https://archiveofourown.org/works/14071428 which is also set in 1966.  
> .  
> Thank you so much for taking time to read this chapter and note! xoxo


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